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Every appraisal assignment gives me an opportunity to visit beautiful places of the neighborhood and nearby tourist spots. This is Panglao island, recognized as one of the premier tourist spot in Central Visayas.

Appraiser Gus took his oath last Friday, September 11, 2015 as one of the Commissioners of a Regional Trial Court in Cebu City. As one of the Commissioner, his duty is to aid the court in determining the exact property affected area and the amount of just compensation to be paid.

“Congratulations to all of you”, the lady judge happily greeted them after the oathtaking ceremony in her office. The other oath-takers were the City Assessor of Carcar, Cebu City and the Clerk of Court.

“I thank the lady-judge and the lawyers who trusted my capacity and chooses me as one of the Commissioner.” Appraiser Gus exclaimed. “With the present composition of Commissioners, the court could render wiser judgment aided by the report of each and everyone of us as Commissioners.”

Appraiser Gus was also chosen as Commissioner by the regional trial court of Lapulapu to determine the fair market value of a property in a dispute. Previously, he also served as an Associate Appraiser in Zonal Revaluation of the BIR Technical Committee in Cebu City.

Appraiser Gus Agosto has just rendered appraisal services to the University of the Philippines, Cebu Campus. “It is an honor to be awarded a contract and appraised properties of a prestigious institution like U.P.”, Appraiser Gus Agosto shared.

“Government institutions and agencies are good market for real estate appraisers. Appraisers can explore and participate in government bidding and contracts.” he further said. Last year, he was also part of an appraisal team that provided appraisal services to the Cebu Appraisal Technical Committee on Zonal Valuation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

To succeed, Appraisers should have working knowledge of the Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Act. Every branch or agency of the government through the head of a procurement entity forms a bids and awards committee (BAC) to conduct competitive and transparent purchases by means of public bidding. There are also alternative ways government can make purchases like limited source bidding, direct contracting, negotiated procurement and shopping,

“In winning a government contract, offering the lowest price is not the key. It is knowledge, appraisal experience and excellence in appraisal that matters,” Appraiser Gus ended.

Most appraisals are for current market value. So the very day an appraiser comes out and inspects a property, the value will be “as of today”. But there are appraisal that determines the value of a property from the past. It is called Retrospective value appraisal.

What is a Retrospective value appraisal? It is a historical determination of the market value. With a retrospective appraisal, the effective date of valuation is what the property was worth on a particular date in the past-maybe last month, last year or last 10 years ago.

What is the purpose of a historical appraisal? Many and varied reasons. Accountants and financial planners need to determine the value of property held in estate when the owner dies. This is known as a “Date of Death” appraisal. The BIR want a professional appraisal in the file to document the value as of that date. Lawyers use the historical appraisal to determine what assets belong to which party.

Historical appraisal is also needed in court litigations involving expropriation of private lands for public use, and ejectment cases. The court will appoint appraisal commissioner to determine the market value of the property on the date of taking. If the property was taken from the owner last year or five years ago, the date of the valuation will be the same.

I recently appraised a property using retrospective appraisal. The property was expropriated for a government project. To determine the market value as basis for just compensation, my client hired my services. In this case, I valued the property based on the comparables, market data and analysis at the time the expropriation took place.

If the appraisal is for court litigation, we may be called on the witness stand to testify to our report and defend it against the opposing lawyers and his witness. There are additional fees for this type of testimony. But be sure your report is defensible and ready to thwart any questions of the opposing counsel.

In this more complicated retrospective or historical appraisal, it is important to hire an appraiser with experience and familiar in the market area. An appraiser with sufficient experience has insight in this area before, during and after changes that have occurred over.

As a professional appraiser it is my responsibility to be the best and be credible as possible for my client. If you have questions on real estate appraisal, feel free to contact me.

It has been a normal scene for prospective client and practitioners to ask an appraiser for the value of a certain property. Some people also thought that after site inspection, an appraiser can render a value opinion already. So, there is a need to answer questions on how an appraisal is done? And why it is important to follow the process?

Appraisal may seem as a simple and fast process. An appraiser shows up at a property for a short time with a camera and tape measure and that’s it. However, the property inspections are only a part of a big process. A typical appraisal report requires 12 to 13 combined hours by appraiser and staff to complete.

Ordering an Appraisal
The process usually begins when a client call or visit the appraiser to order an appraisal. In the telephone or in-person conversation, the appraiser will asks data of the property such as title, building plan, tax declaration, as well as preliminary information of the client, and agree on the scope of work and professional fee. The most important is scheduling of the site inspection.

Identifying the Property
In preparation for the site inspection, the appraiser will study the documents provided by the client focusing on the location, shape and size of the lot, design of the house and decide on what valuation approach that he will use. Additional research will be done in different government offices for the identification of the property.

The Site Visit
Then the appraiser conducts a careful physical inspection of the property and the neighborhood. Take photographs and verify area measurements. Don’t worry about the kids, toys or household disorder. The appraiser is looking at the structure, condition and features of your home.

The appraiser will also roam the neighborhood to observe, estimate the distance between known landmarks in the area. Also, to look for any factors and characteristics that may affect the value of the property, and searching for comparable properties or “comps”. In the language of appraisal, ‘comps’ are sales and listings available in the market.

Pulling It All Together
Next, the appraiser performs in depth analysis of all of the available data. Returning to office is crucial part of the appraisal process. The appraiser will gather all the information about the properties and the financial aspects. Make phone calls to agents, government offices and other parties involved in the transactions to confirm observations or to gather more information. Examine the title and tax declaration for any encumbrance, annotation and non-compliance with the law. Often, property information from several sources is in conflict and it is the appraiser’s task to determine the true state of affairs by means of research, experience and good judgment.

Guided by the principles of appraisal, he will analyze the neighborhood, market, zoning, the predominant use of the area and determine the highest and best use of the property, as vacant and as improved.

In using market data approach, the appraiser will select at least three comps, but generally four or five are necessary to support the basis for the final appraised value. The appraiser makes adjustments to reflect differences in comp properties. Upgrades like painting, chandelier, air conditioners, recent redecorating, or home improvements may add value to a property.

There are other approaches or methods in valuing properties. Every approach is made to substantiate the appraiser’s opinion of market value.

Finalization of a Report
The last part is the preparation and printing of a detailed report, outlining the value of the property appraised and the approaches to value with several addenda including copies of title and neighborhood maps as well as photographs of the property.

The completed appraisal is packaged and transmitted to the client—the property owner, lawyer or company representative who ordered the appraisal.

Thus, appraisal is not a mere “opinion of value”, it follow process and guidelines set by authorities and international standards. Following thoughtful and thorough procedures will provide a complete and credible appraisal.

Appraisal of a warehouse can appear straightforward compared to other appraisal assignments. A warehouse appraisal involves comparing a building that is primarily an open shell to similar buildings. Some appraisers tend to assume that one “box” is pretty much the same as another. However, a number of warehouse characteristics can present challenges during the valuation process.

Some appraisers end in using Cost Approach method as a generic method in appraising buildings. But there are several critical differences appraisers need to keep in mind. First, knowing the remaining economic life of a structure is a big factor in determining what method should be used. Appraising old structures using the cost approach method may generate an incorrect result. Income approach is the reasonable method in this situation. Second, the importance of solving the question of the highest and best use of the property- as vacant and as improved, gains ground when the subject property is old and located in a neighborhood where other best use is possible and more feasible.

In appraising these warehouses using Income Approach, it is essential to carefully consider the following factors in selecting comparables:

The most important, location-related factors can differentiate warehouses located within the same community. The value of a warehouse facility is tied to the ability to move goods efficiently in and out of the warehouse. Any inefficiency reduces profitability.

In a challenging profession, an appraiser should think “out of the box” in looking methods that will result in a reliable and unbiased opinion of value.

“Gus Agosto has been perceptive enough to have realized the potential conflicts of interests with regards to meeting the sellers and has been able to navigate and maneuvered satisfactorily around it, and still come out with a justifiable figure that satisfies both parties.

Of course I would recommend him to others as he has performed what was expected of him and more.”

Richard Azares
Managing Broker
DiamondCrest Real Estate Services

“Gus Agosto is highly competent and much more knowing him in the high level of ethical standard and practice. He is knowledgeable and trustworthy in his assigned work.

We were doing the appraisal business together and yes Gus Agosto is commendable.”

Tom Academia
President
Magaca Appraisal & Konsult

“As a fellow appraiser, I can say that Gus is professional and considerate to his colleagues suggestions and opinions.He is much updated with information and current events that could have an impact on the real estate industry especially the appraisal service.

Yes, I recommend him, because one does not only get an appraiser that can present you the technical aspect of the property but also a broker that knows the marketing conditions of a given location.”

Germaine Ouano
Managing Partner
Intech Property Appraisal, Inc.

“Gus is a new breed of appraiser that can be relied on the opinion of valuation. He is very active practicing appraiser/ someday a lecturer on the update of the Real Estate Profession and economic trend in the Philippines and ASEAN.”

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Real Appraisal is the blogsite of Gus Agosto, a licensed real estate appraiser, broker and environmental planner. He was appointed Appraisal Commissioner of different regional courts in Cebu, Mandaue and Lapulapu City. He valued properties of various type-commercial, industrial, residential and institutional, and works with a number of corporations, realty, institutional clients and professionals. He is currently teaching real estate and finance in University of San Carlos, Cebu City and elected National Director of Philippine Association of Real Estate Boards.